Qualifiers Are Players Too
by Prip
Imagine this: you're among the best tennis players in the world, and
you've cut what little time you've had with your family short to fly
halfway around the world to play in a tournament. You arrive, and
find yourself in what looks like a deserted sporting arena. You're
not sure if you're going to get the practice you need in preparation
because the practice court booking system is still a work in progress,
and you haven't a clue who you're playing in your first match.
Security is at a minimum, and strange people are trudging in and out
of the locker room for no apparent reason. When you finally do find
out who you're playing, the matter of when and where is another
mystery, and you hang around for hours before being told that you'll
be playing in about 2 hours. You hang around some more, warming up
and stocking up on energy, getting some last-minute tips from your
coach. You're all pumped up for the match, but when you get to the
court, you can't help but feel the stark emptiness of the stands.
Of course, this is a worst-case scenario, but the qualifying rounds
at tournaments never cease to amaze me. I never fail to show up for
the qualies if I can help it, and time after time, I'm disappointed
by how tournaments handle it. Tournament dates in local media only
show main draw dates, and the local people who would show up are
unlikely to know about the 2 days of play before. Entrance to
tournament grounds during qualifying is free, and usually happens
on the weekends, a combination that is more than likely to result
in considerable crowds. This is a chance for parents to bring their
kids for a taste of high-profile sports, comfortably within any
family's budget. For the tennis aficionados, this is a chance to
catch a glimpse of the future stars of tennis.
Unfortunately, tournaments organizers and directors still fail to
see the need to prepare for a tournament before actual main draw
play starts. Facilities are set up only on the day prior to main
draw play, players have to cope with the sounds of hammers banging
and other assorted sounds of construction, and spectators are
sometimes even relegated to sitting on the ground due to the
removable bleachers not being set up at the farther courts. Staff
is kept to a bare minimum, and a fraction have no clue as to what's
going on.
It's about time that the people are informed about tournament
qualifying play, and it's up to tournament organizers to make it
so. Perhaps a token entrance fee would help keep things running
smoothly, considering most staff at tournaments are volunteers.
And it's up to you tennis fans out there to attend during the
couple of days to show that qualifiers are tennis players too.
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The views expressed by the authors do not necessarily reflect those of this magazine.
https://tennis-ontheline.com/01pripq.htm © 2025
Last updated 26 September 2015
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